Fabrication of Continuous Aligned Polyvinylpyrrolidone Fibers via Electrospinning by Elimination of the Jet Bending Instability

In this study, we successfully fabricated highly aligned polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers and crossed mats by restraining and eliminating the jet bending instability through a dual-opposite-spinnerets electrospinning (DOSES) method. The DOSES process was photographed by a digital camera, and the morphology of the fibers was analyzed with field emission scanning electron microscopy. We argue that the elimination of the jet whipping and bending instability was achieved by adjusting the concentration of the polymer solution. When the concentration of PVP solution was raised to more than 15 wt A, two individual fibers stuck together were obtained without the appearance of the jet bending instability at a suitable take-up velocity. This study demonstrated solid improvement in both the alignment of the polymer yarns and the fabrication of individual fibers side by side. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 116: 3676-3681, 2010